Nobody Unterstand the Metaphoric from this masterpiece ..o. stone is a genius..this you can Trust .......and nobody knows the Metapher in this Words ..
Conan's father is actually telling the story of Atlantis' fall: Cimmerians in the world of Conan are descendants of Atlanteans, the "Giants", who were believed to have been punished by gods for their arrogance, and with their fall much knowledge was initially thought lost - like the "Riddle of Steel"; advanced metallurgy - but some survived thanks to people who descended from them. By the time of Conan it has already been ages since the fall of Atlantis, and history has become mythologized.
Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis, and the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And onto this, Conan, destined to wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!
You MUST read the original version from "Phoenix on the Sword". KNOW, oh prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars-Nemedia, Ophir, Brythunia, Hyperborea, Zamora with its dark-haired women and towers of spider-haunted mystery, Zingara with its chivalry, Koth that bordered on the pastoral lands of Shem, Stygia with its shadow-guarded tombs, Hyrkania whose riders wore steel and silk and gold. But the proudest kingdom of the world was Aquilonia, reigning supreme in the dreaming west. Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen- eyed,sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet.
One of the best openings in movie history. And it isn't just the words, powerful as they are, Mako's intonation is pitch perfect in this case. Then it's followed by what is absolutely one the all-time BEST opening themes ever written for a movie (and the rest of the soundtrack is just as good to boot).
This is the best opening narration of any film, any genre. The voice is perfect, and it sets the tone of the whole adventure. It's a tragedy that Mako died before Conan 3 could be made.
Fun fact: Red Sonja was originally gonna be Conan 3, but they for some reason decided to make a spin off with Sonja as the protagonist. And The 1997 Kull the Conqueror was a semi-prequel.
@@ramonantoniobennett-ryuuke6301 Originally Conan was supposed to be few parter. The screenwriter of the first one had actually few ideas and ready screenplays for another 3-4 parts. It's just the studio didn't give a single crap about that and John Milius wasn't interested at all in making more than 1.
@@lxdead5585 But Milius wrote the first one, with Oliver Stone helping. I actually have an autographed copy of Conan and The Crown of Iron that Milius gave me in 2004.
Scenes from this movie still gives me chills to this day. And so much esoteric symbology and hidden meanings. This movie was so far ahead of its time. This should be required study for all film school students. An absolute Masterpiece
The forging of the sword is the perfect opening, because it is a metaphor for how Conan came to be - forged in fire and hammered upon an anvil. A torment that if survived, produces a thing of surpassing strength and quality.
Also the skilled blacksmith was seen as a wielder of magic because the could turn base metals into deadly weapons. So the smith would have held great respect and status in many tribes and been the keeper of important knowledge.
Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis, and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!
"Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku, the shape-shifting Master of Darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil! But a foolish Samurai warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung him into the future, where my evil is law! Now the fool seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Aku!" R.I.P. Mako Iwamasu
Thank you to Robert E Howard for creating Conan and the mythology behind his world. It's so different from the Lord of the Rings type of fantasy yet still so powerful and soul stirring in its own way.
Actually, according to Howards supporters, JRR actually liked the Conan series. I'm not the least surprised, because they are well written, the vocabulary is wonderful, it's good honest manly adventures and Conan has morals. He's not a 'barbarian' in the historical sense of the term, he has an inner virtue and moral standard, his personal honor that is based on 'mostly' Christian values, that he never violates. Wonderful novels that encourage young men to read.
@@pl8154 "based on Christian morals" on odd thing, but those were the times (Howard's time). It doesn't make sense why such an ancient pre Christianity man would have Christian values, but Howard lived in very religious times and inserted his own. Realistically Conan would have values of an older system.
I was barely 15 years old when this movie was released in our little town in a remote part of India. It immediately spawned a gym culture All of us skinny kids hit the gym those days. . I am still happy to belong to that generation. I am 53 now, alone, failed miserable. But this music still breathes confidence into me. THank you.
I used to listen to the soundtrack as I read the Silmarillion and Lord of the Rings. It fits perfectly. The kitchen soundtracks fits with anything having to do with Morgoth…the duels and the Beren’s taking of the Silmaril from the Iron Crown.
Powerful words from Conan's father, but I think Conan also came to know that his father was wrong. When Conan was dying on the tree of woe, it wasn't steel that saved him, it was his friends. Subotai for finding him, the wizard for healing him and Valeria paying with her life for his resurrection and healing. Valeria even came to him after death to save his life in battle, just as she swore she would. Conan was fortunate to have deeply loyal friends.
@@reelmermaid8844 Except at the very end, when Thulsa Doom was trying to use his hypnotic powers and his lies and his soothing speech on Conan to bring him under his sway, Conan felt the weight of his father's broken sword in his hand, remembered everything Thusla Doom had taken from him, and used it to kill Doom once and for all.
I love how the actor Mako played the narrator and the sorcerer in this movie. And hes also the original voice actor for Uncle Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Am I the only one whose heart warms up every time the "Conan Love Theme" kicks in at the radiant glow of the furnance reflecting off Conan and his mother's face?
why do nerds always make these comments about Mr Norris anyway.. i bet half don’t even know who he is to begin with.. yeah the dudes alright, playing a character busting bad guys in texas and all.. but he’s not Conan... so enough with the played out Chuck Norris comments, it lame..
most powerful intro. as a kid this changed everything. didnt watch for over 2 decades afterward but when came back it gave me goosebumps how absolutely badass that monologue (lemme tell u of the days of hiiiiigh adventure!!!!!) and liquid sword felt when the music drops
This is the finest opening sequence in the history of fantasy movies. It gives me chills and tingles down the back of my neck every single time I watch it.
Besides pure raw power and brutality, Conan the Barbarian is also a Philosophical movie. Everything that his father taught him on that mountain turns out not to be true in Conan's case. "For no one - no one in this world can you trust. Not men, not women, not beasts..." [Points to sword] "This you can trust." In truth, he trusted Subotai and Valeria, and that very sword broke in a critical moment. He got his revenge but at the highest price. He lost the woman he loved and their warmth. That's why he was sitting on those stairs at the end, contemplating about all this.... was it worth it? Crom roars YES, or he would only lead him back here another day. In even worse company.
You are correct about the movie, but the father's advice is relevant to all freedom loving people today. It answers the question _ "Why do you need a gun?".
@@chiron13 there is a difference in saying " a sword is necessary to repel tyrants" and "you can't trust anyone or anything in life, but the sword". The scene wasn't commentary on the 2nd amendment. Furthermore, you were so fixated on this scene that you lost the ending conclusion. It wasn't the sword that carried Conan through slavery, hardship, loss and even death. It was his will. Let me then ask you "lover of freedom" what is the point of the gun if no one has the will to use it? We live in a technocratic dystopia, and people who speak as you do haven't actually done anything in generations. We were freer a century ago then we are now, but all we have are cowards with more guns than they could ever use. What good have they done us when none have the will of Conan? That is the final lesson of this movie, its wisdom. Will is stronger than steel, and steel with no will to use it is useless.
The father's speech is epic. The whole film has an old school Hollywood look to it. An uneven movie, with great parts and acting, and bad parts and bad acting, but a total classic at the same time. Much better than all of the sequels, which were terrible.
Okay So many great movies created since then BUT this saga is different. I remember i was like 12 years old when i watched this masterpiece The characters, the music, the storytelling Just mesmerizing It stood for 42 years so far and i am sure 20 more years from today people will still pass by my comment and give me thumbs up 👍🏻
*Long ago in a distant land, between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis, and the rise of the Sons of Arias, there was an age undreamed of. I Aku, the shapeshifting Master of Darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil! But Conan, destined to bear the Jeweled Crown of Aqualonia upon a troubled brow, stepped forth to oppose me! Before the final blow was struck, I ripped open a portal in time and flung him into the future. Where my evil is law! It is I who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!*
This reminds me of when I was a kid. My dad was a soldier in the US.Army. Mom brought us to his unit. He was dressed in full battle gear. And he showed us an M-16 rifle. When I touched that rifle I knew what my destiny was from that day forth. Being a soldier was a honor for me. The similarity is this. Conan got to touch his fathers sword. My dad let me touch the M-16 rifle.
One of the great things about this movie is the sense of atmosphere. The leadup to the bombastic part of the music with Akiro talking gives the impression that it's an old wise man retelling a heroic legend to people in a prehistoric cavern or hut.
@@chiron13 I do but i just despise SJWs as they are weak as they say weak men make hard times as now hard times by weak men are being made and now hard times are creating strong men
One thing I always wondered about when I first saw this movie was if this was really going on showing men forging a sword while a young Conan and his mother watched from the shadows.
WILLIAM SMITH! A truly excellent actor who was woefully underated. Also a proper real life hard man, who served his country in the United States Air Force! Weightlifting champion, record for reverse curling his own body weight and an amateur boxing record of 31-1. In real life, he's a tougher man in a fight than Eastwood, Stallone or Swartzenegger could ever be!
It was smashed in half by a magical Atlantean sword. You cant really fault Conan's dad for that... especially not with how they swings swords like clubs at each other through a lot of the fights. Not to knock the film film though. As cheesy as it is, its still Epic Shit.
@@cadethumann8605 casting steel to make a long blade with no real way with the technology then to get rid of the voids and air pockets inside, breakage was inevitable. You can get away with it nowadays since there are ways now to get rid of such voids and air pockets or prevent them from forming in the first place. I still wouldn't use a casting for serious blades like for swords. Gun parts such as barrels, receivers etc, however, casting, done correctly, is perfectly fine. Ruger and Magnum Research do it all the time and have it pretty much down to a science. Billets are best but casting, done properly with today's technology, will also work. Back in the Conan days, not so much.
Aaaaah when movies could make someone Chest hair grow and their voice becoming deeper by an octave or two just by watching it... So glad i grew up in the 80's
Damn, This opening is soooo gooood. The narration, the images, a few words of wisdom and then it’s just the best score in film history and bloodshed. \m/ You can’t replicate this.
First time I saw this movie was on an Easter Weekend in the 80s...just by chance it was a tv premier afternoon showing and I was awestruck with the music and the whole story of the movie....been one of my favourite soundtracks since.
Strength/Power is the central idea of Conan's tribe (and world, in general). And so the Riddle of Steel is but the quest to acquire it. This is confronted by Thulsa Doom (and his monotheistic ways) teaching Conan about "flesh" (will), from which the synthesis is pretty much Nietzsche's worldview. From the second draft: "He was right. If my father was the light of day, Thulsa Doom was the night". Both father figures.
There's a game called "Blade Of Darkness" made by Rebel Studios and Codemasters and the Narrations the Characters and the Action are all super reminiscent of this film. Definitely my favourite fantasy action movies. The Thirteenth Warrior comes after that and you can easily guess where they got the Lion's Share of their inspirations from.
For no one, no one in this world can you trust. Not men, not women, not beasts... This you can trust. [points to his sword]...One of the most epic and truthful lines in cinema history. Still gives me chills like it did in '82 when I heard it in the theater.
Ironically many say that the father was wrong and that the steel wasn't the only thing you could trust. As his father's sword did break. Thulsa said the flesh was stronger. Many say Conan found that Will was the strongest.
@@MALICEM12 I have to disagree respectfully. Thulsa Doom was a manipulator from the start. His strength, like any cult leader, was by lying and making others think they are weak without his teachings. When Conan proved too have a will that was too strong he was sentenced to execution. He survived and alone killed him with a steel sword. The thing that finally killed Thulsa Doom was steel wielded by a worthy individual. This was the riddle of steel. A magnificent weapon that when taken up by an individual who was incorruptible was stronger than any force of flesh.
